Refiner system



Sept. 20, 1966 J. H. WRIGHT 3,273,807

REFINER SYSTEM Filed Aug. 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig-E gamifizov J. H. WRIGHT Sept. 20, 1966 REFINER SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1965 INVENTOR. (10 755 #awaeo WE/G/fl' United States Patent 3,273,807 REFINER SYSTEM James Howard Wright, Springfield, Qhio, assignor to The B32181 Bros. (30., Springfield, Ohio, a corporation of 0 '0 Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 300,033 12 Claims. (Cl. 24142) This invention relates to an improved refiner system. It features means for providing a controlled application of fluid to discrete fiber solids during a refining or fluffing process. More particularly, it provides a novel system for continuously mixing conditioning fluids with fiber solids, such as cellulosic fibers, in a manner that the composition of the resultant mixture is maintained continuously at a theoretical predetermined level. It also features a novel means for substantially eliminating the occurrence of extreme aeration during a disc refining operation.

The invention system is particularly advantageous in application to the pre-treatment of fibrous pulp and will v be so described. However, it should be readily apparent from the following that its application is not so limited and that such is not intended.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved refiner system which is economical to fabricate, more efficient and satisfactory in use, adaptable to a wide variety of applications and unlikely to malfunction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refiner unit, the improvements of which enable a controlled mix of fluids with fiber solids during a flufling or refining process.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved refiner system, the improvements of which enable a controlled mix of fluid with fiber solids during a flufling or refining procedure such that the composition of the resultant mixture may be maintained continuously at a theoretical predetermined level.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a refiner system which facilitates a production of fluifed pulp the respective fibers of which are individually coated with conditioning fluid.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified refiner system enabling a continuous alkali cellulose production.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved double disc refiner incorporating novel means operating as said refiner is reducing pulp to a fibrous fluff to subject the fluff to a controlled spray of conditioning fluid.

An additional object of the invention is to provide improvements in disc refiner operation by incorporating means therewith inhibiting the occurrence of extreme aeration during the refining process.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved refiner system comprising a shredder, a disc refiner and, sealingly related to the outlet of the disc refiner, a screw conveyor unit formed to produce a seal against air movement to and from the disc refiner during a refining operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide improvements in screw conveyors rendering them particularly advantageous for handling the discharge of a disc refiner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a refiner system and components thereof possessing the advantageous structural features, the inherent meritorious characteristics and the mode of operation herein mentioned.

With the above and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinaltions thereof, and the mode of operation as hereinafter de- "ice scribed or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or their equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein is shown one but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a generally schematic view of a refiner system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the disc refiner unit schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, which portion reveals elements of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the operating face of one of the disc units shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the operating face of the other of the disc units shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary generally schematic View illustrating the screw conveyor unit applied to the disc refiner unit of FIG. 1.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

As seen in the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention system includes a back stand 10 arranged to mount a roll 11 of pulp material 12 having a web form. In immediately following relation to the stand 10 is a conventional shredder 13 (Bauer type 7 AB) incorporating a pair of opposed metering rolls 14 and shredding rolls 15 therebelow. The stand 10 incorporates a suitable guide so oriented in reference to the metering rolls 14 to provide for movement of the Web 12 therebetween in a generally horizontal plane. The web 12 is then turned to move downward in a vertical sense between the metering rolls 14 and to pass to and between the shredding rolls 15. The latter reduce the web material to a flake form of small size and irregular configuration. It is preferred that the flakes approximate a. size which, at a maximum, is 1 /2 inches in any given direction. A transition chute 16, one end of which is fixed to define an outlet from the bottom of the shredder 13 and the other end of which is fixed about the entrance to a feed spout 17, provides for a gravity flow of the flaked pulp from the shedder 13.

The spout 17 leads to an opening in the side wall 18 of the housing 19 of a double disc refiner 20. The housing 19 includes opposite side walls 18 and 18. The wall 18 and spout 17 bearingly accommodate a shaft 21, one end of which mounts an open refiner disc 22 interiorly of the housing 19. The disc 22 is so positioned to orient vertically of the housing 19 generally parallel to the side wall 18 and adjacent the opening therein which provides a feed inlet defined by the discharge end of the spout 17.

Fixed on the outer peripheral portion of the innermost face of the disc 22 is a circularly arranged series of refining plates 23. The plates 23 dispose about and in radially spaced relation to an outwardly projected, conically tapered, hub portion 24 formed integral with the disc 22. The projected hub 24 coextensively accommodates the end of shaft 21 which mounts the disc 22.

The housing wall 18 bearingly accommodates one end of a shaft 25, oriented coaxial with the shaft 21, the extremity of which mounts a closed refiner disc 26 in opposite, adjacent, and relatively spaced relation to the disc 22. Centered on the face of the disc 26 most adjacent the disc 22 is a distributor disc 27 including diametrically opposite, relatively projected, ribs 28. Fixed immediately about the distributor disc 27 is a series of refiner plates 29 positioned opposite and immediately adjacent the refiner plates 23 on the disc 22. The disc 27 and the plates 29 are so positioned to leave a negligible spacing therebetween.

The disc 22 includes feed openings 30 which are circularly spaced about the hub portion 24, immediately rimmed by the refiner plates 23, and directly opposite the opening in the refiner wall 18. Conventional means are provided to bridge the space between the means defining the inlet to the housing 19 at the discharge end of the spout 17 and the plate 22 to insure a channelled flow of the pulp flakes from spout 17 to and through the openings 30 in the disc 22 and about the hub portion 24. Noting the FIG. 2 of the drawings, the ribs 28 on the distributor plate 27 are positioned opposite and in line with the inflow of pulp flakes through the openings 30.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it may be seen that the shaft 21 is hollow, including an axially positioned passage 31 the length thereof which terminates within the hub portion 24 of the disc 22. Both the conically contoured hub portion 24 and the portion of the shaft 21 confined thereby are drilled to provide radially oriented relatively divergent branch passages 32 the inner ends of which communicate with the passage 31. As seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, in generally schematic fashion, the end of the shaft 2 1 remote from the disc 22 has a rotary union 33 and connects to the discharge side of a pump 34 through the medium of a conduit 35. The pump 34 has its inlet in connection with a feed conduit 36 leading from a supply tank 37. The tank 37 may be filled with a prescribed conditioning fluid for treatment of the pulp fibers in a manner to be further described. As is believed obvious the pump 34 can be energized to cause a flow of the conditioning fluid through the passage 31 to exit through the branch passages 32. Mounted in the discharge extremities of the passages 32 are spray nozzles 38. The passages 32 and the nozzles 38 are so oriented and formed to provide a fan-shaped spray of the conditioning fluid to exit therefrom in a sense tangential to the operating face of the refiner plates 23, the latter of which have an outward slope from their inner to their outer peripheries, in reference to the disc 22. As may be obvious, suitable valve controls may be incorporated in the fluid delivery system so provided whereby the amount of fluid delivered from the spray nozzles may be readily controlled.

Conventional means are employed to provide for relative rotation of the shafts 21 and 25. The details thereof are not disclosed since they are not pertinent to the present invention.

Located immediately under the double disc refiner 21 to have one end thereof bridge the outlet therefrom is a screw conveyor unit 4%. Suitable means are provided to insure an air-tight connection therebetween. The conveyor unit 40 includes an elongated trough-shaped housing 41 the respective ends of which bearingly mount a shaft 42 the length thereof. The shaft 42 mounts a screw 43 for conveying refined material which moves radially outward of the refiner discs, drops through the outlet of the disc refiner and falls through an opening in the top of housing 41 on one end of the screw. Suitable means 44 provide for a variable speed drive of the shaft 42 through the medium of a belt 45 and the screw therewith. It is preferred that the screw itself have a reducing pitch form with a full pitch at its infeed end and reducing to half pitch at its discharge end.

It may be seen with reference to FIG. 5 of the drawings that the screw 43 nests to the bottom of the trough shaped housing 41 which is semi-circular in cross-section in a transverse sense. Thus, the screw positions relatively closer to the bottom than the top of its housing 41. Spaced towards its discharge end the housing 41 4 form from the roll 12 on the back stand 11) to move to and through the metering rolls 14 on the shredder 13. As a web passes from the rolls 14 and between the shredder rolls 15 the conventional shredding equipment reduces the Alpha cellulose to irregularly formed flakes of a size as previously described. The flake particles are then gathered and transmitted by the transition chute 16 to flow under the influence of gravity to and through the feed spout 1'7 to enter the refiner housing 20. It is preferable that the spout incorporate a magnetic separator to gather particles of solids which may inadvertently pass therethrough such as might create a fire hazard or mechanical breakdown of the attached refiner equipment.

For the refining process, the shafts 21 and 25 are previously energized to cause the discs 22 and 26 to relatively rotate. The discs are conventionally positioned to establish the refiner plates 23 and 29 in immediately adjacent relation and to thereby form an outwardly convergent refining throat therebetween. As the cellulose flakes pass through the inlet to the disc refiner, they move to and through the openings 31) in the rotating disc 22. The ribs 23 on the distributor plate 27 directly opposite the openings 30 inherently act to produce an outward distribution of the pulp flakes and cause them to move outwardly between the relatively adjacent surfaces of the refining plates 23 and 29 as they relatively rotate. Simultaneous with the deliveiy of the flake material between the opposite refiner plates in the present application, the fluid providing a controlled concentration of caustic soda is pumped from the tank 37 to flow through passage 31 in the shaft 21 and the branch passages 32 to exit in a fan-shaped spray through the nozzles 38. The spray pattern is such that the fluid exits tangential to the operating surface of the refiner plates 23.

As the Alpha cellulose is continually metered, shredded and flaked and the flakes are channelled to enter and move radially outward between the adjacent disc refining surfaces as described, they are immediately engaged and reduced to a fibrous fluff by said refining surfaces to expose the fibers thereof in an individual form. These fibers are uniformly contacted by the fluid spray consisting of caustic soda.

The end result of this effective fluid application is a mixture of fiber solids, chemical and water of an exact composition. The fiber solids to water to chemical ratios may be readily altered in a manner believed obvious by adjusting the concentration of the chemical solution in the tank 37 and/or the feed velocity of either the pulp or fluid portion of the infeed to the refiner unit, or both.

It is noted that the provision for negligible spacing between the distributor disc 27 and the peripheral refiner plates 29 insures there are no gaps in the disc 26 where the infeed of pulp might lodge and then break off in slugs.

By establishing the spray pattern tangential to the operating face of the refining plates 23, it is insured that each and every one of the fibers which move thereby will be enabled to have a substantially equal exposure to the continuing spray from the nozzles 38.

As wetted and thereby conditioned to provide an alkali cellulose, the pulp fibers drop to the bottom of the refiner housing 13 on being radially discharged from between the refiner plates on the relatively opposed discs. They exit in their fluffed form to one end of the trough-shaped screw housing 41, falling first on the full pitch infeed portion of the screw 43. As the fluff is advanced by the screw 43, it is caused to enter the shrouded portion of the housing 41 where the reduction in cross-section achieved by the shroud 48 produces a compression thereof. The fluff assumes the form of a soft plug as a result of this compression to seal against air discharge from the refiner housing 19. This in turn causes the rotational elements of the refiner unit to slightly cavitate but it reduces the air inflow to a negligible level and produces a general condition of little or no air flow in respect to the refining chamber. Therefore, it prevents extreme aeration such as often encountered in a disc refiner and insures any dehydration of the fluid-solid mixture is kept at a minimum and at tolerable level during the refining ope-ration.

The above produces a continuous manufacturing procedure the end product of which is alkali cellulose. The effect of this procedure is to continuously bring together dissolving grades of cellulose and caustic soda, such that they are intimately mixed and each cellulosic fiber is thoroughly contacted by sodium hydroxide. Thus, alkali cellulose may be so produced to have substantially the precise composition that its end use requires. It avoids an undesirable excess application of sodium hydroxide or water. This procedure is therefore highly efficient and insures an economy of operation.

The application of the invention system is not so limited. It may be used, as described, to reduce continuous webs of fibers, whether organic or inorganic, to a discrete fibrous state while at one and the same time conditioning the individual discrete fibers by a controlled contact thereof with various fluids.

It may be similarly used to accurately and precisely wet or condition pulp material of any nature during a similar refining process. For example, the fluid delivered through the shaft 21 may be acetic acid and so applied for a pretreatment of dissolving grades of wood pulp prior to acetylation during the manufacture of cellulose acetate.

Thus, it should be obvious the invention may be employed with particular advantage to achieve a fluid treatment of any pulp during a refining operation in a very simple and effective manner. The improvements in the refiner art as provided by the invention system are multiple in view of the fact the respectively improved components may be used per se for their individual advantages and in various applications believed obvious from the above.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modification within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A refiner system including, means for supporting fibrous material in web form, a shredder and a disc refiner arranged in succession to immediately follow said support a means, means for guiding said web material to said shredder for reduction thereby to flake form, means for transmitting the flakes to said disc refiner for flufling thereby to expose their individual fibers, means in connection with said disc refiner for spraying a fiber conditioning fluid so as to produce an intimate contact thereof with the individual fibers as they are exposed within said disc refiner, and means for conveying the so conditioned fluffed fibers from said disc refiner arranged to compress and produce a soft plug thereof in movement from said disc refiner in a manner to inhibit flow of air to or from said disc refiner.

2. A refiner system including a shredder, means for delivering fibrous material to said shredder in a web form, means in said shredder for reducing the web to a flake form, a double disc refiner, means connecting said shredder and said disc refiner for delivery of the flake material to'said refiner, a pair of relatively opposed, relatively rotating discs in said refiner one of which is open for passage therethrough of the flake material delivered from said shredder to move outwardly between said discs and be converted thereby to fiber solids, a shaft mounting said open disc having passage means for delivery of fiber conditioning fluid therethrough to discharge therefrom at angles to achieve a contact with the individual fiber solids as they are created on movement of the fibrous material between said discs.

3. A refiner system as set forth in claim 2 characterized by a screw conveyor in connection with said disc refiner for delivery therefrom of the fiber solids conditioned therein, said screw conveyor having related housing means formed to create a compression of the conditioned fibers as they move therethrough and providing a seal thereby inhibiting movement of air to or from said disc refiner.

4. A refining system including a housing, means defining an inlet for delivery of pulp thereto, opposed relatively revolving disc units therein for refining the delivered pulp therebetween, means defining an outlet from said housing and a conveyor unit for delivery of the refined pulp from said housing outlet including means for compressing the pulp as it flows therethrough in a manner to create a seal across said outlet which inhibits the passage of air during the operation of said refining system.

5. A refiner system including a refiner housing, means defining an inlet for delivery of pulp thereto, opposed relatively revolvable discs in said housing for receiving the pulp and refining it therebetween, means defining an outlet from said housing and a screw conveyor bridging said outlet adapted to receive the refined pulp therefrom, said screw conveyor having housing means of reducing diameter gradually restricting the passage thereby in a manner to cause the refined pulp to form a plug as it moves therethrough whereby to inhibit the passage of air to and from said refiner housing.

6. A refiner system including a housing having an inlet for delivery of pulp thereto, opposed relatively revolvable discs in said housing for receiving the pulp and flufling it therebetween, means in connection with one of said discs for delivering a spray of pulp conditioning fluid in a path generally tangential to the disc operating surfaces to thereby contact and coat individual fibers in the process of their exposure during the flufling operation and means defining an outlet from said housing for delivery of conditioned fiber solids therefrom exclusive of excess conditioning fluid.

7. A refiner unit including, a housing forming a refining chamber, means defining an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom, a pair of adjacent, opposed, relatively rotatable refiner discs in said housing, one of which is open and positioned adjacent said inlet for delivery therethrough of pulp material to be refined between said discs, a distributor disc on the other of said refiner discs in the path of flow through the open refiner disc and operative on relative rotation of said discs to radially disperse such material, refiner plates on the outer peripheral portions of the adjacent faces of said refiner discs operable to refine the pulp material as it moves outwardly therebetween, the refiner plates and distributor disc on said other of said refiner discs being closely positioned to preclude lodging of the delivered pulp material therebetween and means at the outlet from said housing operating upon delivery of refined material thereto in a manner to inhibit the passage of air to or from said refiner housing during the refining operation.

8. A refiner system including a housing having an inlet for delivery of pulp thereto, opposed relatively revolvable discs in said housing for receiving the pulp and fluffing it therebetween, means in connection with one of said discs for delivering a metered spray of pulp conditioning fluid to the pulp as a flufling thereof converts it to discrete fiber solids to thereby contact and coat the individual fibers during the flufling operation, means defining an outlet from said housing for delivery of conditioned fiber solids therefrom exclusive of excess conditioning fluid, and means in connection with the outlet from said housing for creating a soft plug of the fiuifed conditioned fiber solids as they move therefrom whereby to achieve a seal across said out-let during operation of said refiner system.

9. A refiner system including a housing having an inlet for delivery of pulp thereto, opposed relatively revolvable discs in said housing for receiving the pulp and fluffing it therebetween, means in connection with one of said discs for delivering a metered spray of pulp conditioning fluid to the pulp as a fluflin-g thereof converts it to discrete fiber solids to thereby contact and coat the individual fibers during the flufling operation, means defining an outlet from said housing for delivery of conditioned fiber solids therefrom exclusive .of excess conditioning fluid, a conveyor housing one end of which has an air tight connection about said outlet from said refiner housing, a conveyor screw in said conveyor housing for conducting the flufled pulp delivered through said outlet, and a shroud restricting the cross section of said conveyor housing beyond said outlet to cause a compression of the fluffed pulp delivered by said screw and create a seal inhibiting movement of air thereby.

10. A refining system including a housing, a pair of relatively rotatable grinding discs in face to face opposing relation in said housing, the opposing face of each of said discs having, at its outer peripheral portion, grinding plate means, said plate means being constructed and positioned to define a radially outwardly converging flow path between said discs, means for admitting material for refining between said discs centrally of said grinding plate means, said material moving outwardly between said grinding plate means for separation into component elements thereof, the opposing face of one of said discs having a contoured hub portion projecting axially of said one disc toward the other disc and rotatable with said one disc, openings in and generally perpendicular to the sides of said hub portion for discharging treatment liquid outwardly in said fiow path, the discharging liquid achieving a tangential contacting relation to said grinding plate means in a manner to encounter the component elements of said material as they occur, and means for supplying treatment liquid under pressure through said one disc to said openings in said hub portion.

11. A refiner system according to claim 10, wherein the .means for admitting material for refining comprises inlet means in said one disc radially outwardly of said hub portion, characterized by a distributor plate mounted on the said opposing face of the other said disc opposite said hub portion, there being ribs on said distributor plate opposite said inlet means directing incoming material outwardly to said grinding plate means.

12. A refiner system according to claim 10, characterized by nozzles installed in said openings in said hub portion causing the discharging liquid to reach said grinding plate means as a spray, said nozzles being formed to produce a fan shaped spray.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 821,095 5/1906 French 241 X 2,094,548 9/1937 Meeker 241245 X 2,139,933 12/1938 Chenoweth 24138 2,218,876 11/1940 Eirich 241-245 X 2,550,301 4/1951 Scott 241-246 X 2,561,043 7/1951 Ayers 24l38 X 2,734,685 2/1956 Saite 241-l57 X 2,751,157 6/1956 Meyer et .al. 241-38 2,840,357 6/1958 Nauta 24l-38 X 3,038,671 6/1962 Marchfelder 24l-157 X ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

DONALD L. MAXSON, Examiner.

H. F. PEPPER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A REFINER SYSTEM INCLUDING, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING FIBROUS MATERIAL IN WEB FORM, A SHREDDER AND A DISC REFINER ARRANGED IN SUCCESSION TO IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW SAID SUPPORT MEANS, MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID WEB MATERIAL TO SAID SHREDDER FOR REDUCTION THEREBY TO FLAKE FORM, MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING THE FLAKES TO SAID DISC REFINER FOR FLUFFING THEREBY TO EXPOSE THEIR INDIVIDUAL FIBERS, MEANS IN CONNECTION WITH SAID DISC REFINER FOR SPRAYING A FIBER CONDITIONING FLUID SO AS TO PRODUCE AND INTIMATE CONTACT THEREOF WITH THE INDIVIDUAL FIBERS AS THEY ARE EXPOSED WITHIN SAID DISC REFINER, AND MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE SO CONDITIONED FLUFFED FIBERS FROM SAID DISC REFINER ARRANGED TO COMPRESS AND PRODUCE A SOFT PLUG THEREOF IN MOVEMENT FROM SAID DISC REFINER IN A MANNER TO INHIBIT FLOW OF AIR TO OR FROM SAID DISC REFINER.
 6. A REFINER SYSTEM INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET FOR DELIVERY OF PULP THERETO, OPPOSED RELATIVELY REVOLVABLE DISCS IN SAID HOUSING FOR RECEIVING THE PULP AND FLUFFING IT THEREBETWEEN, MEANS IN CONNECTION WITH ONE OF SAID DISCS FOR DELIVERING A SPRAY OF PULP CONDITIONING FLUID IN A PATH GENERALLY TANGENTIAL TO THE DISC OPERATING SURFACES TO THEREBY CONTACT AND COAT INDIVIDUAL FIBERS IN THE PROCESS OF THEIR EXPOSURE DURING THE FLUFFING OPERATION AND MEANS DEFINING AN OUTLET FROM SAID HOUSING FOR DELIVERY OF CONDITIONED FIBER SOLIDS THEREFROM EXCLUSIVE OF EXCESS CONDITIONING FLUID. 